


By the song of Lyrium.

by alcoholinspired



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II
Genre: Angst, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Past Abuse, Past Relationship(s), Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-09
Updated: 2017-10-12
Packaged: 2019-01-11 00:52:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12311412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alcoholinspired/pseuds/alcoholinspired
Summary: The Lyrium is known to have many uses to every imaginable faction in Thedas, from the dwarf's merchants, smugglers, templars and mages alike, innumerable lifes are dependent on it, but what it's lesser known is that the precious blue stone is capable of music, a music no one but spirits can hear, or no one other than they should, although what song they play is an entire different matter.





	1. A temporary bay.

Kirkwall, the city of chains, what a fitting place he came to. There was an unsettling air on it, a terrible joke written everywhere, mocking him, but there he was, years of running on the middle of the night got him tired and forced him to fight a much hidden rage that were always there, attempting to crawl it's way out of him, to devour whatever was still him. Why from every person it was him to bear those marks, to live through this, to feel those things?

It was night, but it wasn't dark enough, the silver light emanating from the celestial star illuminated the open areas, but also made many black corners on the curves of the buildings. He looked up to the sky and the suspended star greeted him with a ray of its reflected light on his face, the cloak he wore receded a bit, surrounding his face with thick black shadows, the moon colored hair that framed his face like a smooth curtain, beautifully out of the shadows to protect his forehead, the big green eyes would be a delightful contrast with his dark skin, but there was something just a bit down that broke that, just a bit down, under the full lips, two slim curvy veins trailed on his skin, two light blue veins that shone by the moonlight as the precious stones do when light finds them, those two little things that had a life of their own emanated a faint light in response, they were beautiful on themselves, but it only took a little more perception to notice that they were surrounded by scars, like marks burned onto skin, surrounding scars that healed dry over the time.

He looked away from the sky, and the shadows hid his face again, he head to a tavern, not the local popular Hanged Man, no, that would be too obvious, he went to an unimportant small tavern where he arranged to encounter with that dwarf, he walked slowly, disappearing in the shadows the high improvised constructions made, he could hear a woman selling her "talents", the noise of "merchandise" being bought and sold. He continued to walk, attentive to any sound or the absence of them. He keept walking, he doesn't want to be disturbed now.

Finally he arrives at the tavern, it's so inexpressive that would go unnoticed to someone that didn't know it was there, he enters that dive and as expected no one cares, no one even bothers to look from their cards or mugs to look at the man entering the place, in such place there was no shady character that would call attention. He looks around and finds the dwarf sit on a table deep into the place, it's his contact, the dwarf unsettled by the sky, Anso.

"By the Paragons, finally you arrive I thought you wouldn't."

"I said I would and so I did."

"Indeed, and that's a good thing. So messere you mentioned a job you need done."

"I did. I need you to retrieve some goods for me."

"And would those goods include something not totally permitted I take it? Like Lyrium?"

The dwarf spoke in a forced aloof manner, a dumb smile on his face, but as Fenris did not answer the skin of the dwarf turned at least two tones pale, contrasting with the sudden blood influx that marked his cheeks red and no amount of beard could hide that. It was then that the dwarf took a closer look to the man he was talking to, he looks from the green big eyes down the two blue tendrils under his lip, following them down his neck where blue spine-like marks were tattooed on his skin, no it couldn't be a simple tattoo, that was... that was Lyrium! If his eyelids could be more open than what they were already, they would be, it was the Lyrium he so well knew, but how could that man bear it on his skin? No one other than dwarves could resist prolonged contact with it, yet that man bear it on the skin.

Fenris cleared his throat in an attempt to break the dwarf's the torpor, but it was useless, some seconds after and Fenris simply hit the table with his hand, this time the noise and the shake made the desired effect. Back to his senses the dwarf continued uneasy the negotiation.

"S.. so... so Sir, wha... what you... how... you require it... done?"

"There may be some smugglers at the place. I want them out. Bring the goods to me and your job is done."

The dwarf paid attention to each word, he was filled with fear, but no amount of it would prevent him to earn some money.

"Messere you sure know there are some minor complications on..."

"This is your pay, do what I ask and you'll get the other half of it."

Fenris put a little sack on the table, not where the man could reach or would try to reach with the spiked gauntlet just behind it.

"Count it."

With it Fenris pushed the sack to him, Anso took it and opened carefully, he counted the contents and his blue eyes gained a much vivid bright.

"Of course sir, why didn't you tell this earlier?"

The dwarf quickly took the coin sack, he knew who to call, Fenris gave him the address and the dwarf immediately went to send the right letter, he was happy to have arranged money, but the feeling he strongly had now was relief. Fenris looked at him until he left the tavern, he sighed, truth is he had few money with him, with the money he would spend to hire Anso's services he was left with a less than comfortable amount to work with, he would have enough for a month, maybe two, or maybe none if he failed, he was so very tired of running away, he was bitter and angry, but there was this lingering fear that would keep him awake at the deep hours of the night of going back, of being taken back, live everything he already had worse than he already had, worse than it already was after his brief moment.

For the night that was all he could do, wait and hope.

Anso went his way to write and send the letter, he was a businessman most of all, lose time was not on his book, he sent the letter and sat back on his house, for the night that was all he could do.


	2. Grief.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW for implied abuse and guilty feelings.

A failure. That was what he was. There wasn't any single moment in his life he made something really right, nothing, nowhere, to no one.

He escaped the Tower many times, but in every one of them he was captured back, every time he went back the punishments got worse. No he didn't get it as bad as his peers, he was still there, still walking, still with his mind, they got, they got really harmed, irreparably broken, soulless, for him there were others to be punished by his mistakes, by either selfish act one other mage paid.

He could have come earlier, could have been less of a coward and faced the situation before, he could have been better to his friend than pervert him with his anger, could have been smarter to know Karl wouldn't be left for him to find, could have never set fire on that barn.

But he had patients to attend to, there was a child that broke his leg screaming in pain, a woman terribly sick, a man injured from a work accident, someone with a spreading infection, the other poisoned, there had work to be done, too much of it.

How many days have passed since his failed rescue? Five? Ten? Two weeks? A year? He couldn't really know by his instincts, his time sense was pretty much skewed, he had to look upon a calendar that he forgot to mark since then, has someone marked it?

He attends to the one poisoned, it is spider poison, he gives the first care, and with an anti-venom a prescription and some recommendations he sends the man away.

X

Their moments together repeated themselves in his head, from when the older man, in the time an older teen, talked to him while he wasn't speaking to anyone yet.

"So, you know everyone is talking about you, they are trying to give you a name since you don't speak one."

The blond boy turned his head to the dark haired one who took a sit on his side, the older one with keen interest on his face.

"They are calling you The Anders."

The blond boy looked to him with a puzzled face.

"They say it's because of your father."

He now looked down, to any point between the floor, the bench or the other mage robe. Karl took it was a bad topic, so with a tender voice he continued.

"Do you mind if I stay?"

He did not answer, of course, he only turned his face to the front, and the two remained silently like this for most of the day.

X

He goes to treat the one with the infection, it was from an untreated minor wound on the lower belly, the thing that was simple turned very bad in a matter of days. With wisps following his healing hands he tried his best to stop the infection from compromising even more than what it already has, this one was in bad, very bad shape, it was exhausting, he tried recovering what was possible, but there was only so much healing could do, he tended to the infected and left that one for observation as comfortably as possible, one more to stay in a cot, but at least not one more dead, not yet.

X

A Templar guided him to the senior mages quarter, to his new room as a Harrowed mage, when the Templar went away he heard a low voice calling him from behind.

"Anders, you made it!"

It was Karl, who took his Harrowing some time before him, since then they didn't see each other, but he could guess that voice everywhere, he turned to his direction and without much ceremony he jumped on Karl, hugging him tightly.

"Calm, it's over, I'm here, I'm so glad you made it." Said Karl returning the embrace just as tightly.

Anders didn't answer, he only hid his face on the crook of his neck, the tears went out of his eyes to the robe covering his friend, he tried his best to contain himself, he wasn't supposed to let this come out. He released Karl only enough to look at his face, only a palm away from him, still holding him strongly and still being held back by the waist, they were both silently, his face burning red, he cupped Karl's face with both hands, caressing him to feel him closely, to feel him real, Karl only smiled for him, a big happy smile, Anders looked at him with renewed breath and kissed him, without a warning, without a word, he simply kissed him.

Karl was stunned for a moment by the surprise, but before Anders could part from the kiss thinking he was rejected, he kissed him back all the more intense than the other started, changing one of his hands from Anders's waist to his nape to keep him in place.

X

He went to the child, he asked for the parents to hold the screaming kid still, he tried his best to calm, talking something banal and when the kid least expected he put the bone back in place, the child screamed loudly, crying and sobbing on the mother's chest. He healed the tissue and skin, it was perfectly healed, but the family needed a time to recover from the fright.

X

They were together in a room poorly lit by a candle, it was his first time with a man, he was resting on Karl's chest, caressing his chest hair while Karl caressed his head, it was good, or so good as the first time can be, he was patient, gentle, understanding, caring, it was the first time he felt so truly cared by someone, especially someone he... cared so deeply, he kissed his chest, not wanting to move, maybe he could pretend it could last forever.

Some minutes more and Karl sat on the bed, effectively breaking the moment, he took his clothes and started dressing.

"Are you going?" Asked Anders, trying his best to be as aloof as possible.

"I have to, before someone think of checking on me." Answered Karl steadly.

He knew it would end soon, he knew it was something foolish to hope for, but still, he wanted it to last, and he wanted that again, but he couldn't, so he made his best face and touching Karl's arm he asked:

"Will we be together again?"

Karl looked over his shoulder with a calm face, smiling, he finished dressing himself and headed to the door, looked again to Anders and went away. He would like to go after him, but he needed to rest; he fell asleep peacefully that night, and many more after that.

X

He went to tend the man with work accident, he was reluctant to go to see him because for him he was all right, but his wife dragged him all the way to the Clinic as soon as she knew about the accident, he was lucky, he had a concussion, it was something quite common he healed so it didn't take much time, soon the couple was free to go.

X

The day Karl was taken from the Ferelden Circle to Kirkwall was the worst he lived until then. They were taking him to another Circle because, according to them, they needed more talents there, but it was a lie, of course it was, he could feel the wide sardonic smiles of the Templars even under their helmets.

There were two Templars escorting him from the quarters, he wasn't allowed to take anything from the tower, not that he had anything personal to begin with, there were no goodbyes, no words, he was only notified when the Templars came to him already to be taken. Anders was on the library when another mage told him about it; as soon as he heard it he trew the book he was reading on the floor and went running to the quarter's exit, he caught them in the way and even if it was the last thing he should do, he didn't restrain himself and screamed with full lungs:

"Karl! Karl! Stop this you fuckers! Leave him alone!"

As if expecting, two other Templars quickly held him, preventing him to advance, he did not care and continued to shout:

"Don't do this, you have no right to take him away!"

But they had, they had all the right upon their lives, they could do whatever they were pleased with them, and they were doing. Karl didn't turn to see Anders as his voice got progressively desperate and as the tears rolled his eyes, he could not bear to hear him, even less to look at him, he held himself together with every portion of willpower and kept walking, there was nothing they could do.

Anders continued screaming until a Templar got really bothered with him and smote him powerfully enough to make him pass out.

The night they were going to have was never going to happen again.

X

He went to treat the sick woman, he called the fade again to heal her and in a matter of minutes she was good, still, he gave her some remedies and recommendations, she thanked him so many times with a relieved face and went away.

That day Hawke had come in earlier saying he finally got a job, something that might earn him some reasonable money, he asked for him to come together. It wasn't said, but on his face the desolation was written in every corner, that Expedition was everything he and that family had, and to be so willingly to delve into the darkspawn home, to have this at his lifeline, it was too familiar, too close home for comfort. It was the least he could do to someone who helped and was so good to him.

Karl's double death was a cruel blow, it was unfair, unjust, to do that, he was someone he cared with words he did not know, he couldn't feel like he did and like he does.

But there was no time for this, for none of it, it should have been buried together with Karl, now it was time to head for the Hanged Man.


End file.
